Timber!!

 

Nothing says "Welcome to the "Neighborhood" like a giant spruce tree falling on your house less than six weeks after moving in!  Last Thursday, we had a bad storm in the afternoon with lots of hail and wind.  The kids and I were in the upstairs playroom, and heard what I thought was a loud crack of thunder.  All of the sudden, something didn't feel right, and I immediately looked out the window.  The huge, beautiful evergreen tree that provided us with so much shade and privacy had toppled over, and punctured the roof less than five feet from where we were standing.  We were incredibly thankful that we were safe, but very shaken by what had happened: 

 

View from our screened porch.

 

Split trunk and uprooted base of tree.

Tree limb sticking through our roof.

We began the repair/clean up process immediately and the tree removal service came the next day, which provided an afternoon of entertainment for the kids.  It was such a neat process to watch, and Luke was enthralled with the chainsaws and heavy machinery involved:  

 

 

As the limbs were removed, I became a little sad.  I'm a bit of a softie when it comes to trees.  Our neighborhood was built on farmland, and someone intentionally planted this tree decades ago as part of their homestead.  It made me wonder about all of the things that this tree had seen during its life, and reflect on how much we adored it as part of our backyard landscape: 

 

The most exciting part of the tree crew's job was the lifting of the trunk from the roof.  It was efficient and amazing, and we all cheered at the successful trunk removal with the forklift:

 

We then moved to the front yard, where we could watch the mulcher and chipper in action:

 

And just like that, the tree was gone.  We were left with a small hole in our roof and a bent gutter, minimal damage considering the size of the tree.  Once again, we counted our blessings.  Our builder was wonderful and sent over a roofer immediately, so we wouldn't have to tarp the hole.  This week, the gutter was replaced and the insurance company completed our claim, so now we can move on and put this in our "Adventures in Moving" file, to become a distant memory.  Although the view is a little different now, our overwhelming feeling is gratitude, as we give thanksgiving to God for keeping us safe and for allowing us to appreciate that beautiful tree.   

Bowling

Each summer, we participate in the Kids Bowl Free program, and L&L always enjoy our bowling adventures.  It's fun for me to watch them each time, and this week we made our inaugural visit to Triad Lanes in Greensboro, where I was reminded that bowling with a three year old is absolutely priceless.  First there were the adorable bowling shoes (with bows on her socks, of course):

 

 2.  Next came the intense concentration and effort from placing that heavy bowling ball on the ramp:

 

3.  Then came the perfect form, as she sent her ball rolling down the lane:

Here's my favorite part:   After Leah bowled each frame, she didn't wait to watch the ball hit the pins.  Instead, she immediately ran back to the electronic computer screen and had cutest expressions as she anxiously awaited for the animated graphics to appear on the display:  

 

 There were dozens of these expressions, and I couldn't stop giggling at the cuteness and uniqueness of each one.  It certainly added to the entertainment of the day, and made our outing especially fun.   

Luke is an old pro at bowling, and got several spares and strikes, which he took all in stride (gotta love those gutter bumpers!).  Although he had a mildly amused expression as he watched his sister's unbridled enthusiasm, he was much more subdued in his own reactions.  So, of course I had to remind him of this moment, when he bowled for the first time, at age 3:

Luke's Victory Dance!

We had a great morning and are excited to return to the bowling alley again soon!

Summer Countdown

June Checklist to Summer Vacation:

 

1.  Celebrate Donut Day at your local Krispy Kreme.

2.  Learn to ride your bike without training wheels (or in Mark's case, "Start running again"):

 

 

2B.  If training wheels must remain on bike, wear adorable, fashionable outfits as riding attire:

3.  Attend Field Day, and get hosed off by the local fire department to cool off after a fun-filled morning:

 

4.  Wrap up spring tee ball, receive your end of year trophy, and congratulate your teammates on a great season:

 

 

5.  Try a new sport such as Swim Team, and become a pro at jumping off the diving board and swimming in the deep end:

 

 

 

6.  Go on a hike with friends...

 

7.... And completely freak your Mommy out by bringing home your first tick (does NOT fall in the "cute country" category that was previously referenced on this blog):

Poor Leah!!

8.  Have special friends from Greenville visit and have a ball playing with them at our house and the park...

 

Leah and Colette are best buddies!

9.  Receive End of Year Award from teacher, and pose for "Last Day of Kindergarten" picture:

BRING ON SUMMER!

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Conversation between Luke and Mark last week:

Luke:  "Daddy, I know that there are some bad words that I shouldn't say."

Mark:  "Oh, really?"

Luke:  "Yes, like the 'D' word, the really bad 'D' word, the 'S' word, the 'H' word, and the 'F' word."

Mark (momentarily blown away at this inventory):  "Buddy, can you tell me what those words are?  You won't be in trouble..."

Luke:  "Dumb, Dang-it, Stupid, Hate, and.... (wait for it...)   Fart."

Mark:  "That's right, buddy.  Those are very, very bad words.  You are a SUCH a good boy."

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And if you wondered what else went on inside that sweet Kindergartener's head, here is Luke's Father's Day tribute to Mark:

Nailed it.  We sure do love our Wake Forest-loving, funny-sneezing, gas tank-working(?), money-making Mark.  

 

(I didn't post my Mother's Day letter from Luke which stated that my favorite thing to do is to wash dishes.... and that my favorite tv show is the weather.)

 

Hope you enjoy these Monday giggles!

Country Kids

 

 

There's no doubt about it: Our children are turning into country kids!  Recently, Leah actually used the words, "I reckon" in a sentence, which caused me to immediately call Mark at work and tell him that we needed to schedule a trip north ASAP!  All joking aside, we absolutely love what I have dubbed the "cute country" that makes up our new town.  Oak Ridge is very quaint and has rural roots, and there are still many working farms in the area.  In fact, this is the view from our house each morning:  Yes, those are cows behind our next door neighbor's back yard:

Can you spy the 3 cows on the right side of the photo?

  Summerfield Farms is a lovely farm near Luke's school that sells grass-fed beef, eggs, fresh cut flowers, and produce.  It's rustic and historic, and the venue for many weddings.  I may have gone momentarily crazy the first time I drove up and saw it decorated for an event, and texted Mark the following:  "I FOUND LEAH'S WEDDING RECEPTION LOCALE!", to which he responded with radio silence.  Maybe it was the ALL CAPS that scared him.  Anyway, the kids love climbing on the tractor when we stop at the market here, and it's one of our favorite local "cute country" places:

 

We've also visited our local Farmer's Market, where we discovered that Leah was fascinated by the live country music that was being played:

 

The musician even let our little country girl strum the guitar, which made her day!: 

 

Another of our favorite places in our town is the old mill, which has been in use since Revolutionary War times and still produces stone ground meal, flour, and corn.  Yep, definitely qualifies as "cute country" in our book:

 

 

Now that we live in the country, Mommy decided that we need a "cute" riding mower to cut our larger lawn (or "piece of land" as we call it out here).  The kids and I picked out the perfect one for Mark for Father's Day:

 

But alas, we decided on a more practical, functional mower instead, and both Luke and Leah have enjoyed helping Daddy use his new gift:

 

 

One of the perks of living in a small rural town is that you may have your own private roller coaster at RidgeFest, Oak Ridge's annual festival.  We arrived early on Friday, and the kids spent the evening riding rides and playing games before the later crowds arrived:

 

Part of RidgeFest included a 5K that went right past our house last weekend.  Mark and I were happy to be spectators (and not participants!) and our family had front row seats to cheer on the runners:

 

 

Here are two last photos of the farm on the road leading to our neighborhood, which makes me happy every time I pass it.  I love that we found this adorable little corner of the world to call home, and to raise our "country kids"!